The invention is based on a method and an apparatus for monitoring operating and/or driving parameters of a motor vehicle. Various methods and apparatuses for monitoring operating and driving parameters are already known. For example, driving speed, driving direction, and engine management are monitored for operational reliability. Likewise, sensors for monitoring the fuel level in the tank or the fluid level detector in the cooling water and the like are known, for example. If the fluid level in the tank is too low, or if the cooling-water level has dropped, for example, the sensor signals an appropriate error message to the control, which outputs a corresponding warning. This is important to prevent impending vehicle or engine damage.
In certain driving situations it is desirable, however, that this error message not always be output, because the error state occurs only very briefly and does not pose a danger in this special driving situation.
Additionally, the driver is irritated when the error message appears and he is unable to determine its significance.
In contrast, the method and the apparatus according to the invention have the advantage that an error message is suppressed by the control when this error message can be predicted based on the current driving situation, but it is not damaging to the vehicle or the driving situation. For instance, when one drives up or down a steep hill in particular, a fuel level sensor can generate an error message when the fuel level in the tank becomes low, although this situation is not necessarily critical. In general, the fuel dispensing system is designed to ensure that the engine operates properly even when the vehicle is driven uphill or downhill with a low fluid level and brief interruptions of fuel delivery. It is advantageous for the error message to be suppressed in this case, because it would only serve to irritate the driver.
It is considered to be particularly advantageous that the inclination sensor detects the inclination angle either in the driving direction along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, or transverse to the vehicle, and feeds a corresponding signal to the control. For example, unpredictable inclined positions of the motor vehicle can occur with off-road vehicles on hilly terrain that have nothing to do with a fault in the sense of an error diagnosis. This is given in particular when it comes to monitoring, e.g., the fluid level of fuel in the tank, the cooling-water in the cooling system, the engine oil and/or hydraulic fluid, or even the windshield washer fluid and the like.
When it comes to servicing the vehicle, however, it is desirable if errors that have occurred are stored as a function of the associated inclination angle, so that an error that occurred can be interpreted correctly and unequivocally. The output of the error on a display in optical or acoustic form thereby represents a simple and inexpensive solution for the driver.
As an alternative, output via a corresponding service panelxe2x80x94which is present anyway in modern vehiclesxe2x80x94is also significant for the repair facility, because errors that occur once or rarely can be detected easily in this fashion, and their meaning can be interpreted correctly.
It also appears to be particularly advantageous to limit the error suppression in terms of time. Because, if the error is signalled constantly, it can be assumed that a true error exists that is not related to the current driving situation.